Joanna Krupa Calls On Lawmakers to Ban Fur Farms in Her Native Poland

Supermodel and actor Joanna Krupa has set her sights on fur farms, teaming up with PETA to pen a letter to Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło urging her and all members of the Sejm to support a full ban on fur farming in her native Poland. As Krupa points out in her letter, Poland—now one of the largest fur-farming nations in Europe, second only to Denmark—currently has an estimated 800 fur farms where nearly 11 million animals are killed every year.

“I was shocked to hear from my friends at PETA that Poland has become one of the biggest players in this cruel business in recent years,” writes Krupa. “Social, intelligent and curious animals such as foxes, minks and raccoon dogs should not be confined, gassed, shot or electrocuted for ‘luxury’ fashion.”

PETA points out that cannibalism, injuries, illness, lack of veterinary care, and aggression were some of the systemic problems observed on Polish fur farms during investigations.

PETA’s letter to Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło follows:

December 6, 2015

Your Excellency and Chairs of the Sejm,

I would like to send my congratulations to you and all members of the Sejm for being elected to the Parliament of Poland. I hope your tenure will bring about important changes for animals.

Today, I would like to ask the government and all members of the Sejm to take a stand by advocating a ban on fur farming in Poland. I was shocked to hear from my friends at PETA that Poland has become one of the biggest players in this cruel business in recent years, with nearly 11 million minks, foxes and raccoon dogs killed every year only for their fur.

Cannibalism, injuries, illness, lack of veterinary care, aggression and stereotypical types of behaviour were some of the systemic problems observed on Polish fur farms during investigations by Otwarte Klatki. Social, intelligent and curious animals such as foxes, minks and raccoon dogs should not be confined, gassed, shot or electrocuted for luxury fashion.

To stop this unnecessary cruelty, fur farming must be banned, as it already has been in many countries, including Austria, Croatia, Slovenia and the United Kingdom. Fox farming is banned in Denmark and the Netherlands.

According to a 2014 public opinion poll by the Homo Homini polling institute, 55 per cent of the people in Poland already support a ban on fur farms. I would like to ask you to initiate a bill to ban fur farming in order to save the lives of millions of animals in the near future.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Joanna Krupa